Vejmelka makes 26 saves, Hayton scores twice in Utah's 4-0 victory over the Wild

Vejmelka makes 26 saves, Hayton scores twice in Utah’s 4-0 victory over the Wild

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Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka, left, stops a shot by Minnesota Wild right wing Ryan Hartman (38) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) stops a shot by Minnesota Wild right wing Ryan Hartman (38) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Utah Hockey Club left wing Lawson Crouse (67) and goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) hug after a win over the Minnesota Wild of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) defends against a shot-attempt by Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy, right, during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Utah Hockey Club center Clayton Keller (9) celebrates after scoring during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Utah Hockey Club center Kevin Stenlund (82) and Minnesota Wild center Jakub Lauko (94) battle for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Minnesota Wild right wing Ryan Hartman (38) skates with the puck as Utah Hockey Club defenseman Michael Kesselring (7) lies on the ice during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon (46) reaches for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Utah Hockey Club, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) looks down after missing a shot-attempt during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Utah Hockey Club, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

By PATRICK DONNELLY

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Karel Vejmelka made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season, Barrett Hayton scored twice and Utah beat the Minnesota Wild 4-0 on Thursday night for its third straight victory.

Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse also scored, and defenseman Nick DiSimone assisted on both of Hayton’s goals.

Filip Gustavsson made 25 saves for Minnesota. The Wild have lost five of seven.

Hayton’s first goal was part of an early surge by Utah, which outshot the Wild 16-5 and outscored them 2-0 in the opening period.

Hayton closed the scoring early in the third with a backhander off a rebound that Gustavsson couldn’t control.

Takeaways

Utah: Utah is two points out of the second wild-card spot in a crowded Western Conference playoff field.

Wild: Despite welcoming star forward Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon back to the lineup after extended absences, Minnesota came out flat. The Wild rebounded with a more consistent attack in the final two periods, but Vejmelka kept them off the scoreboard.

Key moment

Less than two minutes into the game, DeSimone fired a shot from the top of the right circle. Hayton had set up in front of the net, and his tip skipped past Gustavsson, giving Utah a lead it never relinquished.

Key stat

Hayton has seven points in his last four games with three goals and four assists.

Up next

Utah is at Winnipeg on Friday night. Minnesota hosts Calgary on Saturday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl